The Modern Dad: A 21st Century Fatherhood Quiz

When it comes to parental relationships, fatherhood has been overshadowed by motherhood during the last 150 years. However, dads are beginning to get their due, especially among academic circles studying how these men function within family dynamics and contribute to child development. Test your databank of dad knowledge with this 21st Century Fatherhood Quiz.

Start Quiz »

You scored

0 out of 20

Question 1 of 20

Who invented Father's Day?

Alvin Austin

Julia Ward Howe

Sonora Smart-Dodd

During a 1909 Mother's Day sermon, Sonora Smart-Dodd came up with the idea for Father's Day as a way to honor her widowed father of six.

Question 2 of 20

Which U.S. President made Father's Day a national holiday?

Coolidge

Truman

Nixon

Although Father's Day celebrations began in Spokane, Wash., in 1910, it wasn't until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation officially designating the second Sunday in June as Father's Day.

Question 3 of 20

In 2009, Charles J. Saylor became the first male president of what?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

National Parent Teacher Association

For the first time since it was formed in 1897, the National Parent Teacher Association elected a male president, Saylor, in 2007. He officially took the helm in 2009.

La Leche League

Question 4 of 20

Which famous researcher referred to fatherhood as a "biological necessity and social accident"?

What percentage of American children are raised in households without their biological fathers?

12 percent

23 percent

39 percent

According to the National Center for Fathering, 39 percent of school-aged kids and teenagers grow up apart from their biological fathers.

Question 6 of 20

Fathers from which country spend the most time with their children, on average?

United States

Netherlands

According to research conducted by fatherhood expert and Stony Brook University sociologist Michael Kimmel, dads in the Netherlands spend twice as much time with their kids compared to American dads, and British papas put in 40 percent more time than their paternal counterparts across the pond.

Britain

Question 7 of 20

Which of the following famous dads had the most kids?

Jim Henson

Jim Henson and his wife, Jane, had five children: Lisa, Brian, John, Cheryl and Heather. Gandhi had four sons and King has three kids.

Mahatma Gandhi

Stephen King

Question 8 of 20

In 2008, what percentage of American children younger than 6 years old ate dinner every night with dad?

33 percent

54 percent

71 percent

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 71 percent of American kids ate dinner every night with their dads in 2008. Fifty-three percent breakfasted with dad every morning.

Question 9 of 20

Which major historical event institutionalized the family model of father-as-breadwinner and mother-as-caregiver?

Enlightenment

Industrial Revolution

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, fathers spent more time at home, often taking ownership of children's academic and religious educations. Afterward, men left the home to earn money, casting the primary responsibility over home and children to mothers.

World War I

Question 10 of 20

According to a 2009 British survey, men gain how much weight during their partners' pregnancies?

8 pounds (3.6 kilograms)

14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)

Blaming additional snack foods around the house and more eating out, the British dads reported gaining an average 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms).

21 pounds (9.5 kilograms)

Question 11 of 20

Which of the following countries offers the most generous paternity leave?

United States

France

Sweden

Sweden has become known for its bountiful, government-sanctioned maternity and paternity leave, guaranteeing working dads at least two months off while earning up to 80 percent of their salaries. The U.S. is among a minority of developed governments that doesn't provide for paid parental leave.

Question 12 of 20

The U.S. Census Bureau tallied up how many stay-at-home dads in 2008?

154,000

Although the Census Bureau recognized 154,000 at-home dads, fatherhood scholars suspect the actual number is much higher.

554,000

1,540,000

Question 13 of 20

In February 2012, news broke that which World War II dictator secretly fathered a son with a French teenager?

Adolph Hitler

In February 2012, the French magazine Le Point published the story of deceased Jean-Marie Loret, the secret son of Adolph Hitler, who met Loret's mother while fighting in France during World War I.

Joseph Stalin

Benito Mussolini

Question 14 of 20

Considering that there are 85 million mothers in the United States, how many American dads are out there?

85 million

70 million

Perhaps due to single parenting and gender differences in life spans, there are 15 million more American mothers than fathers.

55 million

Question 15 of 20

As of 2007, what percent of working mothers earned more income than their husbands?

13 percent

25 percent

The Great Recession tipped the income scales in favor of more women, bumping the number of wives out-earning their husbands to 25 percent.

41 percent

Question 16 of 20

Modern dads are giving out more what to their kids these days?

hugs

Although allowances also may have increased with inflation, national data indicates that dads are doling out more hugs to their children than in previous generations.

curfews

money

Question 17 of 20

According to 2010 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, working moms spend how much more time than working dads taking care of kids every day?

17 minutes

In a sign that dads are pitching in more around the house, working moms contribute just 17 minutes more childcare per day than their working husbands.

52 minutes

2.3 hours

Question 18 of 20

True or false: Fathers prefer to have sons.

true

Statistically, fathers are more likely to desire sons, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Polls tracing back to 1941 have found that men report wanting a son more than a daughter by a 2:1 margin.

false

Question 19 of 20

What percentage of American dads wish they could spend more time with their kids?

33 percent

55 percent

77 percent

Struggling to strike a healthy work-life balance, a majority of employed fathers -- 77 percent -- would like more time with their kids, according to a 2010 study out of Boston College.

Question 20 of 20

True or false: Sports are the primary father-child activity.

true

Continuing a trend that began in the early 20th century, fathers dedicate four times more childcare time to sports, compared to mothers.